Electrical connecter with automatic circuit breaker



Jan 11 1927.

- T. KLOTZLI ELECTRICAL CONNECTER WITH AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed March 29. 1923 nsula/ion Patented Jan. '1 1, 1527'.

UNITED STATES Tnnonon xL'MzLI, or

' 1,614,305 PATENT OFFICE;

THOUNE, SWITZERLAND.

ELECTRICAL coNnEcTim wITII AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER.

Application filed March 29, 1923,;Seria1 No. 628,436, and in Switzerland July 3, 1922.

My invention relates to an electrical connecter having an automatic circuit-breaker of the kind'comprising a wheel rigidly con a circuit-closing member and serves to hold the spring-controlled circuit-closing contactpiece in its closed position by means of a pawl."

In apparatus of this kind known heretofore the circuit is opened always at the same temperature, and this invention has for its object a construction in which the circuitbreaker can be regulated for varying the time at which it will operate,

To this end, in apparatus of the kind referred to, according to thisfiinvention, the I tension of the spring controlling the circuitclosing contact-piece can be varied.

The invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination. of parts described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

An embodiment of the invention is illus trated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of the circuit-breaker in two different positions.

Figure 3 is a central vertical section 30 through Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a detail.

In the constructionof the 'conne'cter as shown the two part casing 31, 32 is madeof insulating material. Inthe part 32 is inserted a socket 33 having a longitudinal slit and a set-screw 34 for clamping the socket on a pin. The socket has at its upperend a lug 35 into which is screwed one end of a pivot-pin 36 whose other end is in'the form of a cylindricalhead 37'having a conical shoulder 38.

The pivot-pin 36 carries an annular casing 39 which has a ringof ratchet teeth 40 onits periphery constituting a ratchet wheel, the casing 39 being closed on the side overhanging thehead 37 by a screw-threaded 'disc 41- The head 37 has a diametral slot 42, and the disc 41 has in its inner face two recesses 43. Between the end face of the head 37 and the disc 41 there is a space which is filled with a fusible mass 44 which, when cold, rigidly connects the parts 36, 37 with the parts 39, 40,41. I

At the rear of the wheel 40, that is at the side thereof remote from the disc 41, a contact-arm 45is rotatably mounted onthe casing 39. This arm carries a three-armed pawl 47, 48, 49 rotatable about a screw 46 screwed into an extension 45' of the arm 45 on the opposite side of its axis of rotation, which pa wl, is held in engagement with the toothed wheel 40 by a spring 50.

The contact-arm 45 is under the control of a coil sprin 51- that surrounds the pivot-pin 36 and has its one end hooked into the head of a screw 52. This screw is screwed into a threaded socket 53 that extends through a hole 54 in the part 32 of the casing intc the interior of the latter. By turning the socket 53 the. tension of the spring51 can be regulated for causing the casing 39 with its contact-arm 45 to start rotating sooner or later and thereby varying the time wheir the circuit-breaker operates.

, The contact-arm 45 cooperates with and makes and breaks the circuit at a contact-v piece in'the form of a rectangular socket 55 (Figure 4)fwhich is provided with a lateral lug 56 for engaging the arm 45, and has a hole 57 and a set-screw 58 for connection tov an electric conductor. For protecting the conductor'immediately above the casing 31, 32, the latter has a screw-threaded hole 59 into which is screwed the one end of a closely coiled spring 60 (Fig. 1) the turns of which are drawn apart in the hole 59 by the threads, whereby the spring is securely held in the casing.

A'switch lever 61' isrotatable on the easing' 39 in front of the ratchet wheel 40. This lever extends through the part 31 of L the casing 31, 32' and carries on its outer end a knob 62. In order that the lever 61 shall gnot be exposed at all parts of its travel between its two limits of movement, the two parts 31, 32 of thg casin have each an arcuate bulged portion, as s own at 63.

The switch lever 61 has two rearwardly -directed bent-over lugs 64,. 65 extending across the toothed wheel 40. The lug 64 coacts with the contact arm 45 and therefore as the lever 61 is rocked downwards moves the arm 45 against the action of the spring 51 until it is heldunder the lug 56 of the contact piece 55. In this position the contact arm is held by the pawl 47 engaging in the ratchet teeth 40 (Fig; 2). The lug 65 serves for releasing the awl 47 from the ratchetteeth 40 by hand m order to be able to break the circuit at will.. When the switch lever 61 is rocked upwards, it presses the lug 65 inwards against the arm 48,

whereby the pawl ll is disengagedlrom the ratchet wheel 40. lfhe arm 49 slides along a cam face 66 which is in part concentric with the axis of the pivotpin 36 and is situated on a shoulder 67 of the socket 33. In the circuit-closing position of the contact arm (Fig. 2), the arm 49 extends to the left beyond the face 66, so that the pawl t? can engage with the ratchet wheel 40, which is not possible when the arm i9 bears on the lace 6 (Figure i) so that the arm 45 does not make the circuit. Screw plugs 68 and 69 of insulating material are provided for closing the holes containing the socket 53 and the screw 58. v

The switch -an be closed and opened with one and the same lever by rocking from its upper into its lower end position and reversely from its lower into its upper end position. The circuit is broken automatically by the actioii of the spring 51 on the contactarm 45, so that the latter is turned with the ratchet wheel ll! about the pivot-pin 36,37 when the fusible material ll becomes suiticiently heated to lose its rigidity. The circuit is broken instantaneously, the formation of an arc is prevented, so that the device can be used both for direct and alternating current.

1 claim 1. In an automatic circuit-breaker, the the combination of a fixed contact-piece, a pivot-pin, a ratchet wheel rotatable about said pin, a fusible mass normally rigidly connecting said wheel with said pin, a movable contact-piece arranged to make and breakcontact with said fixed contact-piece, one of the said contact-pieces being thermally connected with said in, a pawl operatively connected with said movable contact-piece and arranged to enga e with said wheel and hold the said movable contactpiece in contact with said fixed contactpiece, a spring operatively connected to said movable contact-piece and tending to move the latter into its circuit-breaking position, manually adjustable means for regulating the tension of said spring, and manually operable means for disengaging said pawl from said wheel.

2. In an automatic circuit-breaker, the combination of a fixed contact-piece, a pivot pin. a ratchet wheel rotatable about said pin, a fusible mass normally rigidly connecting said wheel with said pin, a movable contactpiece arranged to cooperate with said fixed contact-piece, one of the said contact-pieces being thermally connected with said pin, a spring operatively connected to said movable contact-piece and tending to move the latter into its circuit-breaking position, means for adjusting the tension of said spring, a pawl operatively connected with said movable contact-piece and arranged to engage said wheel and hold the said 1nov- 'able contact-piece in contact with said tixed contact-piece against the action of said spring, and manually operable means for shifting said movable contact-piece in relation to said fixed contact-piece and simultaneously shitting said pawl in relation to said wheel.

3. in an automatic circuit-breaker, the combination of fixed contact-piece, a pivot pin. a ratchet wheel rotatable about said pin and forming therewith a chamber. a fusible mass in said chamber normally rigidly con necting said wheel with said pin, a movable contact-piece in the form of a lever mount ed to rock about said pin. which lever has a contact-arm arranged to cooperate with said fixed contact-piece, a pawl mounted on said lever and engaging with said wheel, a spring coiled about said pin and operatively connected to said contact-arm and tending to move thelatter into its circuit-breaking position against the action of said pawl, and a switch lever mounted to rock about said pin, the said switch lever having an arm adapted to coact with said contact-arm and move the same against said fixed contactpiece, when the switch lever is rocked in one direction, and a second arm adapted to coact with said pawl and disengage the same from said wheel, when said switch lever is rocked in the other direction.

4. In an automatic circuit-ln'ealrer, the combination of a fixed contact-piece a pivotpin, a ratchet wheel rotatable about said pin and forming therewith a chamber, a fusible mass in said chamber normally rigidly connecting said wheel with said pin, a movable contact in the form of a lever mounted to rock about said pin, which lever has at one side of said pin a contact-arm arranged to cooperate with said fixed contact-piece, a

spring coiled about said pin and operatively connected to said contact-arm and tending to move the latter into its circuit-breaking position, a tail piece, a pawl mounted on said tailpiece and engaging with said wheel for holding said lever against the action of said spring, the said pawl having two lugs, a

switch lever mounted to rock about said pin,

and having one arm for coacting with said contact-arm to move it against the action of said spring, and a second arm adapted to coact with one of said lugs to disengage said pawl from said wheel, and a cam arranged to coact with thesecond of said lugs and hold the pawl disengaged from said wheel,

when the contact-arm is in its circuit-breaking position. i

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

THEOD OR KLUTZLI. 

